NOUN clarifies N20,000 fee for remarking students scripts

The management of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has
reacted to allegations of extortion against the institution based
on a ₦20,000 fee charged for remarking students’ examination
scripts.

Recall how students accused the school of extortion after the
institution announced a N20,000 fee per course to remark
examination scripts.

Based on the announcement on its website, the school plans to
set up a three-member committee to re-mark the scripts after
receiving the payment. Efforts by our reporter to seek
clarification on what the payment was for, from the university,
were unsuccessful as all telephone numbers provided on the school’s
portal did not go through and emails sent to the university were
also not replied for a week.

In a statement sent to this newspaper on Wednesday, the Director
of Media and Publicity of the institution, Ibrahim Sheme, stated
the reason for the charges.

“I would like to clarify that NOUN does not charge any
unnecessary fees or fancies extorting money from students.”

“What obtains in the case raised by you is that when results of
examinations are approved and released by the university, any
student who feels that he or she ought to have scored higher grades
may decide to apply to the university for the remarking of such
courses.”

“The procedure is that such papers will be forwarded to other
experts in another university, who are paid together with courier
service from the fee the affected student pays for the remarking
that he or she has asked for.”

He also noted that it is an opportunity for fair hearing
afforded the affected student rather than any attempt at
extortion.

“NOUN does not withhold the results of students in order to ask
them to pay for marking their scripts. Any delay in releasing
results may have been caused by a minor hitch in procedure, but the
said fee affects only the student who files an appeal for remarking
with the hope that he or she will score a higher grade,” Mr Sheme
wrote.

Related